The _____ Experiment and Magnus Villaneuva

The _____ Experiment (The Blank Experiment) teams up with pianist Magnus Villaneuva to perform a concert of new music by Jeffrey Agrell, Earle Brown, Unsuk Chin, Xenia St. Charles Gilbert, Adam Kennaugh, Gyorgy Ligeti, Mayke Nas, Ian Wiese, and two world premieres by Shi-An Costello.

***RSVP only*** **seating is limited**
RSVP Link: https://forms.gle/Eee6xiaZ1dL8yMnV7

Masks and vaccination cards are required.

Livestream on FB: @narlochpianostudio
Donations via Venmo: @narlochpiano

Magnus Villanueva, piano
The _____ Experiment
Ava Wirth, oboe
Michelle Cusick, clarinet
Andrew Hosler, saxophone
~~~
Program
Jeffrey Agrell: Blues for D.D. , for solo oboe
Earle Brown: Nov. ’52 (1952), for solo Bb clarinet
Adam Kennaugh: From Sand (2017), for solo tenor saxophone
Gyorgy Ligeti: selections from Etudes pour piano (1985-2001)
Unsuk Chin: “Toccata” from Piano Etudes (1995-2003)
Shi-An Costello: Reappearance (2021), for solo piano (wp)
Ian Wiese: Twin Colors, for right and left hand, for solo piano
Ian Wiese: Twin Colors, for two wind players
Mayke Nas: Entrez! (2002), for soprano sax, oboe, and Bb clarinet
Shi-An Costello: Three Oblong Studies (2022), for oboe, Bb clarinet and tenor saxophone (wp)
Earle Brown: Four Systems (1954), for oboe, Bb clarinet, saxophone and piano
Xenia St. Charles Gilbert: The Score is $600, for oboe, Bb clarinet, saxophone and piano
~~~
About the performers
Chicago native MAGNUS VILLANUEVA has performed all over North America, Europe, and Asia from notable concert halls and radio stations to hospitals and nursing homes. His recent festival appearances include solo and chamber music performances at the Cortona Sessions, Atlantic Music Festival, Orford Music Festival, Gijón International Piano Festival, and Festival Pablo Casals de Prades. Passionate about chamber music and collaboration, he has worked with members of the Guarneri, Spektral, JACK, and Brentano quartets, International Contemporary Ensemble, and Alarm Will Sound.
Magnus earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Peabody Conservatory under the tutelage of Marian Hahn. Previously, he studied with Emilio del Rosario and Ralph Neiweem at the Music Institute of Chicago. An enthusiastic pedagogue, he currently serves on the faculty of Great Neck Music Conservatory on Long Island, New York and has previously been on the faculty of the Gasse School of Music and Chicago Music Lessons. In addition to teaching, he is a dedicated ballet pianist and has worked for New York City’s Ballet Arts and Chicago’s Hyde Park School of Dance.
THE _____ EXPERIMENT (pronounced The “Blank” Experiment) is an up and coming flexible instrumentation ensemble based in the Midwest. With over 30 commissions, this group is committed to expanding the repertoire for mixed chamber ensembles. Their mission is to commission music by a variety of composers in order to create high quality, but audibly approachable new music by performing outreach concerts for a variety of audiences in various locations. . This ensemble was originally founded in 2017 by Andrew Hosler (saxophones), Michelle Cusick (clarinets), and Natalie Pate (harp). The ____ Experiment quickly began collaborating with composers around the United States to create works for this new instrumentation.
Their first recital tour featured performances at Michigan State University and Bowling Green State University, following that they had additional performances at the Flint Institute of Music and the University of Michigan both featuring mostly newly composed works. In the summer of 2018, The _____ Experiment recorded their first album, Conversations, with Sly Pup Production and went on to release the album in March 2020. This album featured seven world premiere recordings featuring composers from multiple states, including: Michigan, Florida, Ohio, and Arizona.
In July of 2020 The ____ Experiment expanded to include oboist, Ava Wirth. Throughout the rest of the year, the ensemble worked to record pieces that were compatible with socially distanced settings. One of these works was the first composer collaboration with the new instrumentation: Tyler Mazone’s Mini Personalities for Oboe, Bb Clarinet, and Tenor Saxophone. They also started a series of virtual projects aimed at cross disciplinary collaboration entitled Visual Soundscapes. In the Spring of 2021, the ensemble continued to expand to include Maya Grossman on Basson. During this time, The _____ Experiment was heading a commission for composer Josh Trentadue. In May of 2021, the newest member was added to the ensemble, harpist Danielle Kuntz.
In August of 2021, the entire ensemble met in person, the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began. During this meeting, The _____ Experiment rehearsed and recorded new works that were released during the fall of 2021. Six of these works were released on the October recital, “Kadupal”. This recital had three world premieres, including the commission with Josh Trentadue, Meditation and Hymn to Nature.
The members of The _____ Experiment are located in Ann Arbor, MI, Cleveland, OH, Chicago, IL, Wichita, KS, and San Francisco, CA. When not rehearsing, the members of this ensemble enjoy mountain biking, taking care of their pets and plants, and laughing at cheesy jokes about musicians.